Chapter: 200
The sound of swords clashing echoed in my ears.
My opponent was the only family and teacher I had, with ebony-like hair.
It had become a routine to face her in combat, but that didn’t mean I ever got used to it.
“Si-woo, didn’t I tell you to focus completely when swinging your sword?”
“Kuh…!”
Look at that, even now, she takes advantage of my slight lapse and strikes mercilessly at me.
She believes that fighting someone stronger is the best way to improve skills.
That’s probably why she always maintained a gap that was just enough to be challenging, yet not completely impossible to overcome.
Even though I often heard that I was growing at a terrifying pace, the distance I sensed when facing her hadn’t changed from the past to now.
So I had no choice but to pour all my focus into my sword when facing her.
I had to, but—
“Ah.”
Maybe it was due to my wandering thoughts that I couldn’t suppress.
My reflexes slowed, and I saw her sword rushing towards my neck.
Given that she rarely showed mercy, it was clear that sword would soon strike me down.
Just as I was preparing for the impending pain, telling myself to focus next time, her sword came to a sudden halt right in front of my throat.
“Why?” I thought blankly, and as I looked at her, she sighed and muttered.
“Sigh… let’s call today’s training session here. You seem too troubled; a proper spar sounds difficult.”
Yoon Si-woo couldn’t help but smile bitterly at Lucy’s remark.
Because there was nothing wrong with her words.
Indeed, my mind was all jumbled up.
With a resigned sigh, I plopped down in my seat, closed my eyes, and sank into my thoughts.
—I killed him.
The image of Luke filled my mind.
Do people know?
That most of the words he spoke yesterday were full of lies.
Probably not.
I had lied to myself, insisting all his words were the truth.
I didn’t particularly like lying.
But I had no choice.
Because there was a common existence I wanted to protect, both for myself and Luke.
So even if it meant that he would bear the label of murder due to my lies, I insisted on lying.
But I never imagined it would lead to this outcome.
“……”
In the end, both Luke and I achieved our goal of protecting Scarlet.
I, through my lies.
Luke, by taking his own life.
How shocked I was when I heard the news this morning that he was dead.
I had underestimated his resolve.
I never thought he would go so far as to sacrifice himself to hide Scarlet’s existence.
But that was all it was.
He merely chose to do so, and I didn’t foresee that he would go that far, so I had no need to feel guilty.
It was simply that.
“Sigh…”
I kept on thinking.
Was his death because of my lies?
I couldn’t help but think of the expression he wore when we left the conference room, a face that seemed to say, “This is enough.”
If I had realized that then and asked him not to do it, could I have stopped it?
Thoughts like those popped into my head sporadically.
“Si-woo.”
At that moment, I heard Lucy’s voice calling my name nearby.
Guided by the gentle pull of her hand, I naturally laid my head on her lap.
Beyond the slow strokes of her hand, I saw her pearl-like dark eyes.
There were no words, but it felt like they were saying.
“It’s not your fault; it’s okay.”
A slight comfort spread through my heart.
I probably needed that comfort.
So just for today, it would be fine.
With my eyes closed peacefully, I accepted Lucy’s touch.
*
After a short break, I woke up and noticed a message on my mobile phone.
[Si-woo, can we meet briefly to talk?]
It was nothing special.
However, the moment I saw who the message was from, I held my breath.
The sender was Mark Aegis.
The principal of Aegis Academy.
And at the same time, he was also the brother of the deceased Luke.
To be honest, he was someone I felt awkward facing right now, but I couldn’t just refuse outright.
After a moment, I texted back asking where I should go, and not long after, I received a message saying I should come to the Principal’s Office.
What did he want to talk about?
Despite my worries, I made my way to the academy’s grounds for the first time in a while.
When I finally found the principal’s office and opened the door, Mark, who seemed to be busy with paperwork, spoke as he noticed my entrance.
“…So, you’ve come.”
“Ah, yes…”
Even as I replied, it was hard to hide my awkward feelings.
Honestly, there was no way to avoid it.
No matter how much I told myself it was okay, my guilt over Luke’s death hadn’t completely faded, making it difficult to look at Mark directly.
So I thought about wrapping up whatever he wanted to talk about as quickly as possible, and spoke to him.
“Um… what did you want to talk about?”
“Ah, about that…”
He hesitated for a moment at my question, looking troubled.
As I hoped he would finish quickly, Yoon Si-woo heard him say, “…I wanted to confirm if you lied yesterday in the meeting. That’s why I called you here.”
His words made my expression harden, as it seemed he was suspicious of me.
Had he found out that I had lied?
No, it wasn’t certain yet.
Didn’t he say he called me to confirm?
I thought I shouldn’t show my anxiety, and thus maintained my composure while asking him back.
“…Lie? What do you mean?”
“Though we received some help from you to ascertain the truth of the statements made, we don’t actually know if you were lying or not. However, some of the things Luke said were a bit questionable. So I wondered if you and Luke might have made some plans together.”
“I did not make any plans.”
My heart was racing, but I boldly declared as if nothing was wrong.
After all, there was no way they could verify whether I had lied or told the truth.
If there had been a method, they wouldn’t need to rely on me in the first place.
Mark glanced at me for a moment, contemplating.
Then he muttered in a low voice.
“Scarlet Evande.”
I couldn’t help but flinch at the name that slipped from his lips, murmuring inside.
How did he—?
And as if answering that thought, Mark asked once more.
“That child?”
In that instant, I pondered over what I should answer.
Should I have replied, “No”?
Or should I have feigned ignorance and asked what he was talking about?
But I, stunned at the man before me who had just mentioned the name of the existence they had all so desperately tried to hide, found myself unable to say anything.
I felt the facade I had desperately maintained begin to crack.
And as I caught the glimmer of certainty in Mark’s eyes as he watched me, I realized that I had just made a massive mistake.
“…So, it was true. Luke was trying to hide that child’s existence… Which means she was the subject of that plan.”
His words flowed out as if he had figured it all out.
How did he find out, I wondered, but then realized that such thoughts were meaningless.
Since everything had been revealed, it was over.
Luke’s efforts to conceal her existence, sacrificing his own life in the process, had ended in such futility.
Yoon Si-woo looked at the man before him.
What was he thinking?
Maybe he was cursing the one who led his brother to his death.
Perhaps he was preparing to expose her identity to the world and seek vengeance.
If that was the case, then what should I do?
Yoon Si-woo silently gazed at the man before him.
The man who had unveiled Scarlet’s true identity.
Before that could happen, perhaps I should—
“Hey, could you not look at me so frighteningly…?”
As I kept struggling with my thoughts, I heard Mark’s voice.
He shivered as if scared, then with a wry smile, he murmured.
“I get a general idea of what you’re thinking, but if that’s the case, don’t worry. I have no intention of spreading this around, either.”
The Holy Sword of Truth indicated that the man’s words were true.
But even so, Yoon Si-woo couldn’t help but ask him blankly.
“…Really?”
“Yeah… so just relax your eyes.”
At Mark’s request to relax my gaze, I realized I had been glaring at him and quickly flicked my eyes open and closed.
I could see Mark’s face smiling with an indifferent expression.
Though my tension eased a bit at his seemingly sincere demeanor, I still found it hard to fully trust his words.
After all, it was directly related to the death of his brother.
Moreover, given his position in the Central Committee, he couldn’t simply cover up anything related to witches.
With those doubts swirling in my mind, I asked him.
“…Why wouldn’t you want to speak about it?”
“Why? Well…”
At my question, Mark chuckled softly, muttering.
“…There are a few reasons. I owe her a debt and saw that she was a good kid when I met her. But above all…”
“…”
“When Luke talked about that girl, he always smiled.”
A smile filled with sadness and longing.
“When Luke made that choice, it meant he didn’t want to expose that child’s identity no matter what. That child was that precious to him. He was a good little brother, after all… I want to respect his last wish.”
Upon saying that, Mark seemed to shake his head as if trying to shake off his melancholy.
“I hope this helps you to trust me a little. If you ever want to talk about her, come to me. I’ll do my best to take care of her for the sake of my brother. Anyway, I’ve learned how things stand, so my purpose here is done.”
“…Thank you.”
“Thank you? No need to offer thanks. Just pretend you didn’t lie, and you’re free to go.”
Yoon Si-woo bowed to Mark, sincerely expressing his gratitude.
Mark waved his hand, saying it was unnecessary, yet he didn’t immediately raise his posture.
Really, really, I was truly grateful to him.
Because he had helped me avoid the worst-case scenario.
*
After Si-woo left, Mark remained in the Principal’s Office, handling remaining paperwork.
The door opened, and someone entered.
Since it was clear who would come, Mark didn’t even look up and greeted the person.
“Did you come?”
“…Mark, it’s okay to speak informally.”
“No way; how can I speak informally to someone so much older than me?”
Only then did Mark look up and see the person who entered.
Eve, the Deputy Principal and a teacher.
She was one of the few people with whom he could genuinely speak from the heart.
With Mark’s statement, Eve smiled gently and then cautiously asked him.
“Did Si-woo visit?”
“Yes, well, as I mentioned earlier, he has shared what he needs to.”
“…I see. So you’ve decided to let it go in the end.”
“You wanted that, didn’t you? I have no major complaints about that either.”
At his words, Eve chuckled sourly.
“…Yeah, thanks.”
“…Could you please stop patting my head? I’m well beyond that age, and my hair is slowly thinning, so I’m managing it.”
“Oh, sorry… It was a habit.”
Looking at Eve, who smiled sheepishly and then took her hand away, Mark chuckled lightly.
“If it were that kid, he might’ve liked it even at this age.”
“…You mean Luke?”
“Yeah, when he was little, he used to say he would marry you when he grew up.”
Mark stared into the distance as if reminiscing about the pleasant memories of the past.
“If he thought that, he should’ve become principal himself. He handed over the responsibility to me, claiming he wasn’t confident enough to lie in front of others…”
“…”
“…I saw him lying well enough yesterday. That little brat…”
Without realizing it, as Mark’s eyes grew moist, Eve silently grasped his hand.
A moment later, as his emotions settled, Mark thought of his brother, who had abandoned him.
Even from a distance he ran away, he had gotten so deeply tied to these connections.
Perhaps that was the fate of Aegis.
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